NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- STEPHANIE McMAHON milled around the Wild Horse Saloon, where three rings were set up in front of a stage. Her husband, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, was also on hand Friday, as was Nick Khan.
On this morning, the day before WWE's second-largest event, SummerSlam, the trio took in the final day of tryouts, where 50 collegiate athletes delivered promos and ran the ropes hoping to land a WWE contract. Fourteen aspirants were signed.
One person was conspicuous in his absence: Vince McMahon. For 40 years, the McMahon name has singularly towered over the world of professional wrestling -- or sports entertainment, as he calls it -- both on screen and behind the scenes.